Westover Air Reserve Base partners with FEMA to prepare for Hurricane Sandy

CHICOPEE- Westover Air Reserve Base will receive a total of 77 Federal Emergency Management Agency trucks full of supplies by the end of the day Sunday, officials said.

"Between 25 and 30 trucks are already here and more are on the way," said Lt. Col. James Bishop, chief of public affairs for the base.

The trucks carry everything from tarps and water to MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) as well as industrial generators which can be used for schools or hospitals of they lose power due to Hurricane Sandy, said Robert Perreault, emergency management director for Westover.

"Westover is the installation support base for the department of defense in collaboration with FEMA," he said.

Perreault said this is the third year Westover has been made a staging area for FEMA supplies.

"I think we have streamlined the process over the years," he said.

Westover also provided support during Hurricane Irene last year and Hurricane Earl the previous year.

He said there are about 30 FEMA employees at the base who will unload trucks if necessary.

The trucks come from as far away as Philadelphia and Maryland.

Perreault said Westover's location far from the coast and in the center of a six-state New England region, makes it a good staging location.

He said the base is also working closely with Chicopee Emergency Management personnel in case there are any problems locally.

Perreault said they are expecting some electrical problems from wind damage.

"Last year the outlining states got affected by the flood and that could very well be an issue this year as well," he said.